Spring week 7 meal plan, hello! We are cruising right along now, aren't we? This is what we are cooking up next week, and I'm pretty excited for the variety and familiarity.

I'm in my 4th spring season of eating seasonally, so these veggies and flavors are familiar in the best sort of way: bringing back fond memories of the springs before, and giving my taste buds the comfort and calm that comes with the familiar, like I've arrived back home.

Before this, I was eating all the things, all the time; tasteless tomatoes in April, heavy potatoes in June, over-steamed broccoli way too often. I lose my appetite just thinking about it.

Tired of eating tasteless food, overwhelmed by the choices of veggies at the grocery store, and daunted at the thought of trying new recipe after new recipe (for some reason always turning out just meh), I promised myself two things when I started Voeden:

It has to taste good

It can't be overwhelming and time consuming every night

And so, I have come to live by these two practices, and they've not only saved me time, they've also brought consistency, anticipation, and mental freedom. Win!

Eat the veggies that are in-season. Fewer choices provide more of all the good things: creativity, contentment, and time. When I create a meal, I limit myself to using only what is in season, which causes me to be more creative and also makes it much easier to grocery shop and keep the clutter out of my fridge. I spend less time wondering what to eat - I eat what's available. I spend more of that time getting creative in the kitchen and eating yummy food that my body needs, with the people I love. It's awesome.

Make a bank of go-to (staple) recipes. Familiar recipes are friendly. I love variety, and I don't cook the same thing two weeks in a row, but I also need familiarity. When you cook a recipe a second time - it's so much easier and goes so much faster. So we have a bank of "staple recipes" that I pull from each week - so on those nights when I don't have a lot of time, I can fall back on a trusted staple.

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In this week's meal plan, we are using a cauliflower couscous that really blew my mind. So easy, so delicious; if you are looking to cut back on grains, or you're practicing a Paelo diet and still want to enjoy earth bowls, this is your jam. We put it in cabbage wraps drizzled with a peanut dressing, but the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!